Surprise !
by CosmicSynopsis
Summary: Jean Kirsten always had a crush on Mikasa Ackerman but might as well not have existed in the first place. So he tries to befriend her first, but things don't turn out as planned with her thinking he's gay. Who will Jean get with? Eventual Jean X Armin cover art not mine
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Not just friend zoned

Okay so this is my first yaoi fanfic, so please take mental note i do not typically write this stuff and am using this story kinda like an experiment. Also, this story will have crime in it as well.

"Ya know F stands for failure" Marco said to his friend as he gently closed his locker. Jean sighed, "It also stands for fantastic" he said. His friend smiled as they walked toward the lunchroom, "Well good luck, you know where to find me if you get rejected." His friend said playfully as he walked away, leaving Jean to his own devices. Jean looked over at the table where four teens where eating lunch.

One of them was his crush, Mikasa Ackerman, who was perfect and whatever she did. Sports, academics, and would probably make a good mom. Or at least he assumed from the way she babied Eren and that other kid. Then there was Eren, the annoying ass. It made Jean mad whenever he thought of how unfair it was that Eren had it made. His parents where very laid back (or so he assumed due to the boys behavior), he had a decent social standing, and he had Mikasa. Not that they where together, but it was just so unfair! He also had the blond kid to back him up, which just had to be the smartest kid in the whole school, he even skipped a grade! And there was also Annie, she was more of the loner type but recently began to hang out with them.

No matter though, Jean thought as he began to walk over, plan F wouldn't fail. His plan was to start off as a friend so Mikasa would learn how great he was and that he wasn't some sex hungry dude just wanting to he into her pants (even if he was lustful for her a little). This plan would surely work, and if it didn't, Marco would poke fun at him for the next week or two. Jean stopped in front of his peers and attracted Mikasa's and the blond boy's attention. Eren and Annie weren't as interested. Jean subconsciously shifted under the raven haired girl's gaze.

"Um hey, mind if I sit with you all?" He asked. The blond boy (Armin) opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Eren's scoff. "Don't you have to be an ass somewhere else today?" Eren asked. Jean growled, "Hey-" he calmed himself, if it was ever going to work between him and Mikasa he'd have to be able to deal with Eren. "Eren that wasn't nice" Armin said as he crossed his arms. Annie stopped picking at her food to observe what was going on while Mikasa buried her face into a book. "Whatever you want..." She said and Jean mentally high-fives himself. Plan F wasn't a failure!

He sat down between Armin and Annie and across from Eren, who was probably thinking of ways to torment him knowing he wouldn't do anything back. Armin began to read his book again and Eren stepped on Jean's foot. Jean glared at him, but held his tongue. It was going to be a long lunch, but hopefully it'd be worth it. Afterwards Jean wasn't so sure. Eren stepped on and even kicked him multiple times and he was very close to snapping while the boy played innocent. However Mikasa was the one who approved of him sitting there (well she didn't reject) so it wasn't that bad.

"I can't believe your plan hasn't fallen apart yet" Marco said as he sat down by his friend jean in history class. He liked history, he sat behind Mikasa. He eagerly waited for her arrival while Marco secretly texted Connie about who-knows-what. Then she finally strode in behind Eren and the blond. Jeans heart pounded and he watched as she sat down. It took all his will power not to reach out and touch her hair.

Halfway through class the teacher announced they'd be working on a mini project in groups of five. Brave due to his previous success, he asked Mikasa. It worked out perfectly, she could have her friends and Jean could have Marco. Everyone is happy, and Jean gets closer to Mikasa. To his joy, she said yes. 'Wow i should've tried this before!' Jean thought as they got to work. The assignment was boring, but Jean knew he shouldn't be complaining since he wasn't doing any of the research. All he had to do was make the poster with Eren.

"I'm telling you Marco, Mikasa will be mine before you know it!" Jean said excitedly as his friend rolled his eyes. "Jean I don't think that's going to happen." Marco said, but Jean didn't listen, he never did. The black haired boy sighed as Jean went to offer help to Mikasa, feeling a twinge of jealousy in his heart.

Jean decided today he'd make it official, before school was over he'd become her friend and then BAM! Soon he'd be her boyfriend, if getting in the friends zone was this easy, then getting out of it should be a snap! He casually walked over to Mikasa, who was at her locker, and smiled. "Hey Mikasa..." He said. She looked at him and gave him a nod. He fidgeted, he hadn't really planned for what he'd do next. " So um, how was your day?" He asked, and mentally slapped himself afterwards. "Fine, and you?" She asked, she might not of really cared, but it was the polite thing to do. "Great." He said, "anyway, I was wondering if you, Eren, and..." Jean trailed off, he forgot the other kid's name. "And any of your other friends would like to hang out with me and Marco and the bowling alley Saturday?" He asked.

Mikasa thought for a moment and opened her mouth to speak, Jean held his breath. "Sure, Eren and I like bowling. We'll all meet there at three, okay?" She said, even though most people knew Mikasa didn't care for it, she was just a bit Eren obsessed. However Jean was ecstatic with the news, he nodded and she walked away. When she was out of sight Jean quietly shouted "yes!" And went to go find Marco.

"Hey Marco, wanna go bowling with me this Saturday?" Jean asked. Marco almost asked how his plan was going, but didn't. "Sure" he said with a smile. Jean nodded, "great! See you Saturday!" He said as he ran off to catch the bus. Marco smiled, but then shouted, "Jean wait! What time!?" He sighed, Jean didn't hear him. Oh well, he'd text him later.

Marco was having a great time with Jean bowling, he was wining but more importantly was spending time with his best friend. "Your up Jean" he said with a smile. Jean looked at his watch before nodding and got up, and cast a glance at the entrance before grabbing his bowling ball. "Something on your mind?" Marco asked. Jean nodded, "Besides the obvious fact your cheating, the others aren't here yet."

Jean released the ball, "Oh, did you invite Sasha and Connie?" Marco asked. "No, I invited Mikasa and her friends." Jean said, "but their late" Marco looked at the entrance and half of him wished they wouldn't show. He felt bad for thinking that since he didn't have anything against Mikasa or the others; he was just a little jealous. Jean was spending more time trying to figure out how to get with Mikasa and less time with him. If they ever got together, and that was a pretty big if, where would he fit in the picture? Marco sighed and picked up his ball.

"There they are!" Jean said excitedly as the three teens walked through the door. She looked breath taking as usual, and was with Eren, Annie, and the other blond. "Hey guys" Marco said with a smile. He received a hello or hey from everyone but Annie, who just nodded in response. "Alright, lets get bowling!" Eren said excitedly. After the first few turns everyone, even Marco was having a good time. But time just doesn't last when your having fun. They all decided to leave at seven, Jean would've liked to stay longer, but they all had a massive English paper to write over the week end and the others most likely wanted a head start.

"See you later Jean" Marco said as he waved goodbye. Jean waved back and turned to find himself face to face with Mikasa. "O-oh, hi Mikasa. What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised. "I forgot my coat." She said as she picked it up. Jean scratched the back of his head. "So uh, did you have fun?" He asked. She nodded as she put on her jacket. "You know you don't have to hide your feelings..." Mikasa said. Jean turned, "What!?" Mikasa began to walk toward the door. "Just confess your feelings... I'm sure Marco likes you too." She said. Jean stood there for about three minutes. Mikasa Ackerman, the girl of his dreams, the one he thought might be urging him to confess his love for her. She thought he was gay.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Dreams and Confessions

"She thinks I'm gay. She thinks I'm GAY." Jean whined as his friend Marco have him a pat on the back. "But jean... Aren't you gay?" Connie asked. "What!? Of course not!" Jean said. "Oh sorry" Connie said. "Huh? Your not?" Sasha asked as she devoured her bread. "No I'm not!" Jean said with a huff. "Are you sure? I mean, no ones judging you." Sasha said. "Of course I'm not! I like Mikasa." He grumbled. "Mikasa? You know you have no chance with-" Connie was interrupted by a hand covering his mouth. It was Marco who was shaking his head.

"Well there's nothing wrong with being gay." Sasha said. Jean let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. "Whatever, see you guys later" he said. "Wanna make a bet to see when he comes out of the closet?" Connie asked. "Before the school year ends" Sasha said with a grin. Marco smiled as he began to think of his own wager.

Jean walked around to find Mikasa but so far had no success. Maybe he could ask Eren. Actually, scratch that Jean thought as he found said boy with someone he didn't recognize. He was definitely older than Eren and had dark hair and eyes. He was shorter than him, and had his arm over Eren's shoulder. Maybe they where friends? Jean shrugged them off and decided not to bother him, he'd probably have no clue anyway.

Jean turned back and decided to head to the library, maybe she was there. He hunted around but didn't find her anywhere. "Maybe she's in the restroom..?" Jean asked himself as he thought of what to do next. Lost in his thoughts he was completely oblivious to the person in front of him until it was too late. "Oh, sorry." A voice said. Jean followed the voice to a face and saw the per boy Mikasa often hung out with. His name was Armin, right?

"Oh it was my fault." Jean said quickly. "Hello Jean, looking for someone?" Armin asked. Jean was surprised, was he that easy to read? "Um no, why do you ask?" He said. Armin shrugged, "Just a hunch. So what brings you here? I don't often see you in the library." Armin said. Jean shrugged, "Thought I might check out the sports section to see if it had anything interesting." He lied. Armin knew he was lying; he could always tell with most people but had no idea why half the time. He brushed it off, it didn't concern him.

"Well once you find a book would you like to sit with me and Mikasa? She should be back for, the restroom by now..." Armin said. Jean smiled, "Sure!" 'And I didn't even have to ask' Jean thought happily as he plucked a random book off the shelf. True to his word, Mikasa was there when they arrived. She was sitting down reading some random book he knew he would never read in his life and Armin sat right next to her. He picked up what looked like an encyclopedia and began to read it. Jean followed their example and sat down with his book and began to read.

He instantly regretted picking it. It was non-fiction and at least 200 pages, what was he thinking? There was no way he'd read about the biography of Albert Einstein, not even if his English teacher assigned it. He sighed and peeked over his book. Mikasa and Armin where really into their books, which where non-fiction, and Jean had to admit they where both nerds. Now he'd never say that to Mikasa since she was good at everything from sports to academics and probably wouldn't tell Armin since Mikasa was very protective of him. Not like she was of Eren but you get the point.

Jean also noted now much Armin looked like a girl. You could tell he was a boy, but you could also mistake him for a girl too. He had blond hair down to his chin that looked smooth and didn't posses a tangle anywhere, his eyes where a beautiful blue like the ocean, and his lips- Jean snapped out of it. Armin was a boy. He had a dick just like him, he may have been able to pass as Christa but he was a boy, just like him. Jean shuddered at the thought of him checking Armin out. He could only imagine how creeped out the boy would be if he knew, and it wouldn't help prove to Mikasa he was straight. But still, Armin had nice eyes.

Time seemed to crawl for the sole purpose of tormenting Jean, who was doing his best to pretend he was reading. He constantly looked at the other two and tried to read more of the book, but found it was just not his thing. Maybe he should consider getting another book? Knowing his luck, the bell would ring before he got back. So he'd just ride it out in silence. Jean changed position and flipped the page, Mikasa copied the latter action, but unlike Jean was engrossed in her book. Armin did the same moments later with his giant book and Jean suppressed the urge to sigh, books just weren't his thing.

Jean never thought he'd be so happy to go to class when the bell rang. Mikasa and Armin went one way and he went the other, thankful he got to discard the book he was pretending to read. The rest of the day went by uneventfully, even Eren didn't annoy him for some reason, he was just in a good mood. The day passed at its normal pace and around eleven Jean found himself in bed with the covers lazily thrown over him. What would he do now? How would he prove he wasn't gay? Did he just wait for time to take its corse or take action himself?

Jean shook his head, he'd never fall asleep at this rate. "Just think about Mikasa" he whispered to himself as thoughts of her filled his head. Memories of random things related to the raven haired girl flooded his mind, but Jean had fallen asleep with thoughts of Armin, even if he didn't know it.

Jean found himself sitting in the library, a book was in his hand but he had no clue what is was about. He was waiting for someone, but who was it again? He tried to think of who it was but his mind was blank. His question though was soon answered when a girl walked in. Her face and hair was covered by a hat and she wore a white sundress with little orange flowers scattered across at random. She sat down on his lap titled her head up, revealing her face.

"Hi Jean" not she but he said with a smile. It was Armin, a boy, and not Mikasa. However Jean smiled and wrapped his arms around his waist, "Took you long enough to get here" he said. Armin smiled and leaned forward, his lips and Jean's almost touching.

Jean woke with a start and looked around. He was at home in bed, not with Armin at the library. He let out a sigh of relief. But why did he dream about Armin? Jean looked at the time, 3:45, too early to get up. He laid back down and whispered to himself, "Think about Mikasa, think about Mikasa" but of course he didn't. All night he dreamt of Armin, in some dreams he might not of been the main focus, but he was there nonetheless.

"Jean are you okay? You look like you've been hit by a bus" Connie said in the locker room to a sleepy Jean. "I'm fine, I just didn't get a lot of sleep." Jean said with a yawn. The boys left the locker room to find not many people where dressed yet, save a fuming Mikasa a distressed Eren. Jean had to admit, he almost wet himself when he sensed the murderous aura coming off the ticked girl. Mikasa NEVER showed anger or much emotion, so for her to be this mad, Jean felt sorry for Eren.

"I'm going to kill him." Mikasa said, her voice full of venom. "M-Mikasa calm down, nothing happened-" Eren was cut off by a not so gentle hand on his shoulder. He let out a small yelp, "Bullshit, I'm going to have a talk with Levi" Mikasa said as she mumbled stuff about bite marks and other things. Eren shuddered, tonight was going to be eventful.

"What's that about?" Connie asked. Jean shrugged and kept walking, unsure of if he should go say hi. Gym wasn't eventful besides that and to Jean's surprise Marco wasn't there. He knew he was here since he saw him earlier, but he seemed troubled. Maybe he was sick? Jean shook his head, Marco didn't get sick often. After failing to come up with a good reason he decided to wait and ask Marco himself.

Marco wasn't in History or Math and Jean was worried for his long time friend. However he felt relieved when he saw the boy by his locker. He seemed even more troubled than before, and looked a little pale. Maybe he was getting sick. "Marco! There you are, I was worried" Jean said. Marco gave him a somewhat forced smile and a small wave. "Hi Jean." He said.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Jean asked. Marco shook his head. "No but thanks for your concern. I'm just nervous, that's all" he said as he looked down. "About what?" Jean asked. Marco looked up, "Jean... We've been friends for a while... It's just..." Marco took a step forward, "I want to be something more." Jean blinked, was Marco, his best friend... confessing to him? He felt a pair of lips on his own. Yep, he just confessed to him. Jean didn't return the kiss. Marco pulled back worried.

"Jean...?" He questioned, unsure of himself. Jean took a step back, "Marco..." He said, unsure of what to do. On the bright side Marco gained some color back. "Jean, I know you have a crush on Mikasa but please, give us a chance." Marco begged. Jean shook his head, "I'm sorry Marco. Can we still be friends..?" Jean asked, trying not to let the boy down to hard. "I don't know... Know that you know I like you, will we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Attempt

It had been a few days since Marco confessed to Jean and he had awkwardly turned him down, but Marco was willing to let bygones be bygones if Jean was. Jean was also starting to grow closer to Armin and Mikasa, now he could confidently say they where friends and even remember Armin's name. Jean and Armin got along great, Armin was a smart but kind person who didn't sugar coat things but wasn't harsh about it. His personality went great with Jean's and if he didn't hang out with Eren as much, he'd of been friends with him sooner. But luck decided things were going to nicely for Jean.

Marco sighed as he dragged himself to Gym class. He was happy Jean was still his friend, but it didn't change the fact he had been rejected. Marco entered the Gym and winced, Mikasa was already dressed out and waiting for her brother and Armin. He felt a pang of jealousy but did his best to ignore it. He walked into the locker room where he got dressed and got out quickly, taking care to avoid Jean.

"This is pathetic! Our friendship won't last like this, I need to toughen up if I don't want to loose him, in terms of friendship anyway. He saw Jean walk out of the locker room and almost reluctantly walked over. "Hey Jean!" Marco said with a small smile. Jean smiled back, but it wasn't like he used to, Marco began to wonder if he should leave and end the awkwardness now. "Hi Marco" Armin said with a sweet smile. Marco smiled at the blond like he would normally, unknowingly causing Jean to frown, even if it was just for a moment.

"Hey Armin" Marco said happily. The three boys chatted, but it seemed more like two separate conversations with both really only talking to Armin, which didn't even last long. Armin left them later since Mikasa was most likely waiting for him and the polite boy didn't like to keep others waiting, even if Mikasa was extremely patient. Which left Jean and Marco in a rather odd situation.

With Gym out of the way the rest of the day Marco and Jean avoided each other like the plague even though both of them wanted to be friends, they knew it wasn't going to work out. Not like before anyway. Jean spotted Marco and quickly turned away, feeling guilty about not waving or something to him. Marco didn't bother to wave either, so in a way they were even. Jean sighed as he opened his locker.

"Jean...?" A voice asked. Jean looked, of all the people it could've been, it was Eren. "What do you want? I'm already having a rough day..." He grumbled. "I just wanted to ask if you were okay, you don't seem like your usual self." Eren said. Jean remained quiet. "Look, we might not get along, but we're friends. And as your friend I wanted to make sure your okay. You can count on me, Armin, and Mikasa" Eren said before walking away. No insult or sneer, no smirk or taunt, just a nod and he left. "Thanks..." Jean whispered to Eren, who wouldn't hear it.

For two weeks it had gone on, Jean and Marco tried to reconnect as friends but it just wasn't working. Finally Sasha was the one who put a stop to it. "This has gone on long enough. I can't eat with all this awkwardness! You two need to make up or sort out your sexual frustration or something!" Sasha said. Connie nodded in support of his friend. Neither Jean nor Marco said a word, Sasha mumbled something before going off to who knew where and dragged Connie along.

"They are right..." Marco said solemnly. Jean looked at his once best friend, it was going to happen sooner than later, but perhaps it was for the best. "We had a good run, right Jean?" Marco asked with a forced smile. Jean slowly nodded, "Maybe we'll be friends again later." Marco said, if he could get over him that is. Jean nodded and felt like he wanted to cry. He was grateful tears didn't form but for Marco this was not the case. His eyes watered and he stood up quickly, "I'm sorry" Jean whispered. Marco nodded and walked off. Tears falling down his face.

"Hurry up Armin!" Eren whined as his blond friend gathered his things together. "Go on ahead and meet up with Mikasa, I'll be right there." Armin said. Eren nodded and took off while Armin finished up. He threw on his backpack and began to head where Eren was when he stepped in something sticky. "Ew" Armin said as he inspected the fresh wad of gum stuck to his shoe. He went over to the bathroom to wash it off when he heard a groan.

It was faint, but got Armin's attention in the otherwise quiet rest room. Armin took another step forward and sighed, he may of just stepped into piss, gross. Armin looked down to confirm his suspicions but he was wrong. Piss wasn't red. Armin traced it back to a stall and held his breath. He slowly walked over to the door and with a shaky hand held it open. "Marco!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Ambulance

"Marco!" Armin shouted as he stumbled over to his wounded friend, judging by the blade in his hand and the cuts the wound was self inflicted. 'Stay calm, stay calm' Armin thought to himself. He looked around, most people went home by now, Eren and Mikasa might come back but they only had a phone back at the apartment. He'd have to risk leaving Marco here for a little bit. Armin shot a quick glance at his friend before running off.

Armin didn't know if any teachers would be staying after so he just ran around peering into the classrooms until he finally spotted a teacher. She wasn't to certain what was going on but followed Armin who made it clear a student's life was in danger. When they got to the restroom the woman screamed and fainted. "Oh not now!" Armin shouted as he begun to panic. However he then noticed a cell phone in the teacher's pocket. "Thank God!" Armin said as he grabbed the phone and quickly dialed 9-1-1. "911 what is your emergency?" The operator asked as Armin took a deep breath.

Armin was almost certain it was too late. He tried to lie to himself that it wasn't, but his brain knew better. Armin was a realist not an optimist like Eren. He shook violently as he pressed the cloth of his coat harder on the wound. The blood that flowed out was dark for the first few moments, meaning the blood wasn't coming from the heart, which was good. He wished he could say the same about Marco. His body was limp and pale and his breathing was labored, Armin had no idea when he lost consciousness but it worried him. "Come on, hurry up" he muttered as he looked over at the fainted teacher, who was starting to stir.

Moment later she was up, but didn't faint like last time. "Oh dear..." She said as she examined Marco. "Have you contacted help?" She asked. Armin nodded and the lady bent down by Marco, "Okay, then wait outside so you can show the paramedics where to go. After that you can leaveyou've already done enough." She said. Armin stood but shook his head, "I'd rather stay, he's my friend." Armin said before leaving.

Outside it was chilly without his jacket, but he brushed it off. It felt like ages waiting there and he wondered if the teacher fainted again. The thought would've made him laugh if he was in another situation. A gust of wind made Armin remember how cold he was and he hoped he wouldn't catch a cold. He suddenly perked up upon hearing sirens, it was the ambulance, Armin let out a sigh of relief. The paramedics got out and quickly followed Armin not needing any explanation.

When they got to the bathroom Armin was relieved to find Marco was still alive and the paramedics quickly got to work. Another one came in after they stabilized the bleeding boy and put him on a gurney. Armin and the teacher wordlessly followed them out of the buildings and the teacher asked if one of them could come along. They said yes, and Armin's heart sank a little. He wanted to go but they would most likely not let him. However the teacher had other plans.

"You go, I have a daughter to pick up and he seems important to you. Hope he gets better." the teacher said as she walked away. Armin got in the back, feeling a bit better ands at by his friend. "Don't worry Marco, we'll save you." Armin said as he held back the urge to cry. He made it this far without crying then he should be able to handle it.

Armin sat there thinking. Why would Marco attempt to kill himself? It had to do with Jean didn't it, but what? Armin furrowed his brow and tried to put together possible scenarios. He wasn't confident in any of them. "Excuse me" a kind voice said to Armin, who snapped of of his thoughts. "You may go see the patient now, but only for a few minutes. Visiting hours will be over soon." A nurse said. "Thank you!" Armin said as he raced into the room. It was dim but you could still make out everything. Armin took a seat by Marco's bed and carefully grabbed a bandaged hand.

"I'm glad your alive Marco..." Armin said. "I'm so glad..." He said. Tears fell down his cheeks and Armin was glad no one could see them. "But, why'd you do it? It doesn't make sense..." Armin would've continued but he was crying to hard to do so. He had been so scared that his friend would die, it was just to much. He didn't know what his parent's would do when they found out their son tried to take his own life. And what about Jean? Certainly he was still Marco's friend. Friend...friend...Armin bolted upright. His friends, they were probably worried sick, not to ,emotion he missed his shift at the library. The latter he wasn't as worried about since the Librarian would understand, but Eren and Mikasa...they'd have his head!

Armin left the hospital and frowned seeing as the sun was almost set. It was colder and Armon wished he had his jacket. He also wished for a ride, but neither he nor his roommates owned one, and they didn't have money for a cab. Armin cursed his luck as he ran home on foot, which was about twenty minutes away, by car.

Eren and Mikasa where worried sick. Mikasa paced around the room while Eren resisted the urge to punch the wall, again. Armin wasn't at work and school was long closed. They called the police who didn't do crap and they already searched around twice. "I'm going to look for him again." Mikasa said as she stood up, a dangerous aura emanating from her. Eren would've gone, but Mikasa most likely would not let him incase he went missing too. She put on her coat and was about to place her hand on the door when another opened it.

Mikasa followed the hand up to the face to find it was Armin. Armin opened his mouth to speak but the girl tugged him into a tight embrace. "Armin" she said as she let out a breathy sigh of relieve. Eren bolted over and joined the suffocation of Armin with a hug and was also relieved. Both let go of him and the relief turned to demanding of an explanation, with Mikasa tapping her foot.

Armin took a deep breath, "I have some bad news..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Guilt

Jean rushed through the halls, 'Its all my fault...' He thought bitterly as he came to Marco's room. He didn't hesitate as he grabbed the door and flung it open, he might not of wanted to face Marco, but he needed to know he was okay. He entered the room and found Marco was awake, but alone. "Marco are you okay!? What happened?!" Jean asked as he went to his friend's side. Marco gave Jean a pained smile, "I...I did something really stupid..." He lowered his head. "If it weren't for Armin...I'd be dead." Marco said.

"What happened?" Jean asked quickly. Marco had plenty of bandages on, was he attacked? "Did someone do this to you? I'll kill them-" Jean was stopped by Marco shaking his head. "I did it..." Jean shook his head, "Marco, you'd never...You wouldn't do it, don't lie to me!" Jean said. His best friend would never do that to himself or anyone else. "I'm not Jean, but I wish I was. I'm sorry" Marco said. "Don't apologize, I should. Your my friend and I let something come between us because I was stupid. I'm sorry Marco." Jean said.

Marco chuckled, "Dude, you sound like an actor from some sappy soap opera on tv." Jean smiled, no matter what, Marco was still Marco. "So has anyone visited you?" Jean asked. "Yeah." Marco nodded, "As you can guess Armin, he went with me to the hospital and the nurse told me he stayed for a while. The earlier he came again with Mikasa and Eren. Then Sasha and Connie stopped by with flowers. They just left." Jean nodded, he felt even worse, he was one of the last ones to visit and hadn't brought a gift. He'd be sure to next time.

They two remained in mostly silence for the remaining three and a half hours Jean stayed where they did things like watch TV, eat lunch, or gaze out the window. Jean somewhat reluctantly left his friend but promised to be back soon. "Oh don't worry, I don't want to be an inconvenience." Marco said. Jean shook his head, "Your my best friend and I want to do this" Marco smiled as Jean left the room, his smile remaining even after Jean shut the door.

"Oh, hi jean" a familiar voice said, it was Armin. "Armin" Jean said out of partial surprise, Mikasa and Eren were there as well. They waved and Jean gave them a nod, "visiting Marco?" Eren asked. Jean nodded again and looked at Armin, "um Armin? Thanks for saving Marco, I can't think of what would've happened if he died." Jean said, fearing for a moment he'd get all teary and cry. "I'm just glad he's okay, if anyone you should thank the paramedics and doctors" Armin said. Jean nodded and decided not to keep Marco waiting alone. They went their desperate ways without another word.

Jean didn't think he'd make it out the hospital, back home, and into his room before bursting into tears. It was his fault, he had pushed Marco over the edge and of it wasn't for pure luck he'd be dead. Jean muffled his cries with his pillow and cried for what felt like ages. When he finished and his breaths were no longer ragged he got up and left the house. He was going to make things right.

Marco was reading a book Armin got him from the library when there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in" he said, he was getting a lot more fosters than he thought, which added to the guilt he felt to the grief he must've caused them. To his surprise yet again, it was Jean with a bouquet of flowers. "Hey Marco, I got these for you." Jean said. "Thanks Jean" Marco said as he took them. Jean sat down by him as they entered a period of silence. "Marco?"

"Yes Jean?" Marco asked. Jean fidgeted, "I...want you to be my boyfriend."

How was that for a plot twist? Don't worry there is a method to my madness, thank you for reading this chapter and I'll try to update soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Premonition

So here's chapter six, enjoy and happy Halloween :)

A man smoking a cigarette stood in the shadows of an alley, waiting for the right person to exit from the bar across the street. There she was, not as tall as he would've liked but was of Asian heritage and possessed dark eyes and hair. He walked toward her, judging from how she walked she was fairly drunk, so it would be an easy kill. He picked up the pace while his victim was blissfully unaware of the danger she was in.

"Why hello Miss, I believe you dropped your wallet" he said with a smile. The girl looked up at him confused, "oh I did?" The man kept smiling, "yes, here you go" he said as he pulled an object from his pocket. In a flash a cloth was pressed to the drunk girls face who tried her best to fight back but didn't manage to get away. When her body went limp the man dragged her body back to his van in an alley not far away. Normally when he would kidnap someone he wouldn't be so quick to do so and would typically plan things out, but tonight was special, ten years ago on that very night his first victim had escaped him. He grunted more out of annoyance than effort as he tossed the girl in the back and handcuffed her to the floor. He had no idea what she'd be doing with her life now, and her name always made him growl in annoyance. It was Mikasa, Mikasa Ackerman.

Armin shuddered as he felt a gust of wind hit him. He snuggled deeper into his jacket but felt as if he wasn't wearing one at all, regardless he kept walking, he didn't know where he was going but he knew for whatever reason he shouldn't stop. Armin turned the corner and the feeling is dread grew incredibly strong, he couldn't suppress the shudder he made as he felt a pair of eyes watching him. They where cold and thinking of ways to do something Armin knew he wouldn't like. He spotted another person, it was Mikasa. Armin desperately wanted to run over to her but his body wouldn't move. He wanted to call out to her but his voice wouldn't work, he tried harder with a avail.

The figure in the shadows moved, he stood in the middle of Armin and Mikasa but he could not see his face. The figure was watching, waiting to see whom he would go after. Armin winced, he was scared, the time to pick was coming, and Armin wasn't sure he could handle what would happen once he did. The figure looked like he made his choice, he hadn't even moved yet and Armin was shaking uncontrollably. "No..." Armin mumbled, "No!"

Armin woke with a start to find he was at home in his bed. Eren was sleeping on the top bunk and Armin was at the bottom as usual. He got out of bed, he knew it was just a dream, but it would help him rest easier (if he went back to sleep that is). He got out of bed with a creak and as quietly as he could made his way out of the room and into the hall. He shivered, it was cold without the heater on, but that was extra money spent on rent they didn't have. Within less than five steps he was at Mikasa's bedroom door.

The door opened with a creak and he peered his head in. In the darkness he could make out Mikasa's form, and from knowing her for a long part of his life, knew she was awake. "Is something wrong?" Mikasa asked as she sat up. Armin opened the door fully, "Sorry to disturb you, it was just a bad dream and it made me feel better to check up on you." Armin said sheepishly. Mikasa beckoned him over and he sat on the bed next to her. "It's okay, we're going to be fine. No matter what happens" she said calmly. Armin relaxed and smiled, "Thanks Mikasa"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Sandy

Reiner walked into the mall but for a more sinister purpose than most would guess. He was hunting for his next victim. He scanned the mall for the ideal victim, preferably someone small and naive. He went to the book store; Reiner wasn't one for stereo types but people who liked books tended to be nerds, at least from what he saw. He considered one female he saw, her petite structure and somewhat shy demeanor was inviting. She was also very pretty, she would fetch a nice price. However the tall brunette beside her made him have to think twice. She would be trouble with her confident demeanor and looked like she had some muscle on her. Reiner could most likely take her down, but there was a risk of her getting away, and he couldn't have that.

Next Reiner wondered over to various other stores but none of them really seemed like the one, but it wasn't about him, it was about the costumer. He looked around, there, sitting down at a café was a brunette. She seemed small and had no one with her, so it should be an easy snatch. Reiner got up and put on a friendly smile as he began to walk over when he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" They said. Reiner looked down, she looked exactly like the blonde girl from earlier only taller and with shorter hair. "Oh, it's fine" he said. He studied "her" more closely. She was about average height, blonde hair to her chin, had fair skin without a single blemish, and...was a boy. Reiner wasn't too surprised but never liked to be wrong about something, but it was okay, better then making a mistake on something more. A mistake can cost him his life. "It's fine" he said and the other blond went on their way while Reiner went back to the task at hand, however he did make a mental note that blond boy was an ideal victim if this one didn't work out.

Armin didn't know why, but his gut told him something was wrong. He checked to see if he had all his possessions, they were there. Maybe something happened to a friend? Armin brushed it off, or at least tried to. After all, your gut made mistakes too, but part of him couldn't help but think otherwise. He walked a little faster.

The brunette who's name was Sandy giggled as Reiner flashed her another smile. From what he had learned she was sixteen, lived by herself, and that plenty of teens did that in this town. The last bit of information was defiantly a huge score in Reiner's opinion. "So Sandy, would you like to go on a walk outside with me? The sun will set soon and I'm sure it'll be nice to watch." Reiner asked. "Sure" Sandy said as she followed him to the exit.

They walked around the mall and ended up chatting about whatever. Reiner's hand found its way into his pocket where a needle lay waiting to be used. He would've brought the chloroform but didn't want to risk it in such a public place. He looked around, there were too many people for comfort for him to make his move, he'd have to wait. They turned the corner and were at the back of the mall, which had no one to protect Sandy with just their presence from Reiner. He pulled out the needle. "I think the Matrix was a good movie-...Reiner?" She asked as he hid the needle from her view. "Yes?" He asked. "For a second you seemed zoned out" she said.

Sandy began to list the reasons why she liked the Matrix and Reiner decided now was his chance. He stuck the needle in her bare arm. "Ow!" She said as she began to feel a bit off. "Reiner?" Sandy asked, her voice now filled with fear. Reiner pulled out a smirk as he took a step toward her. Sandy wobbled and began to groggily make her way back to the side of the mall where people would be. "Help!" She cried, but Reiner wouldn't have any of that. He put a hand over the girl's mouth; he wasn't meet with resistance due to the girl being out cold. He picked her up bridal style and figured he could just convince people they were a couple or something.

Reiner threw her in the passenger seat to avoid suspicion and got in the van. Once out of the plaza and into a less crowded area he stopped the car. He pulled out Sandy and got to work. He removed her phone, wallet, and clothes and re dressed her in a white tank top and boxer shorts before firmly cuffing her to the floor of the van. He took her other belongings into the woods as well as a shovel and buried them not to deep below surface, but deep enough so it would not be an issue. He went back to the van and drove off in a good mood, the kids in this town were going to be easy pickings.

"Did you hear? Sandy went missing!" Connie said as he reached for his sandwich to find Sasha had helped herself to half. "Sasha" he groaned, meanwhile Armin fidgeted, he saw Sandy at the mall a few hours before she went missing. "If only I'd known maybe I could've helped her." Armin thought with a twinge of guilt. Armin shook his head, there was no way he could've known, besides, who knows, maybe it was just a rumor and Sandy was out sick. "Yeah, I herd that too" Marco said.  
"Maybe it's just a rumor" Mikasa said. Annie nodded in agreement. "I don't think so, I heard her parents and close friends were forming a search party" Marco said. "Or she could've been murdered, and the killer might stick around and try to kill more of us like in a horror movie" Eren said with his usual excitement. "You watch to much TV" Armin said, knowing Eren wasn't going to ever listen to his advice and continue to rot his brain with television.

"Delay? What happened?" Reiner asked in a not so calm tone. The client was unable to make it at the appointed day so he'd have to hang on to the merchandise for a while longer. Reiner didn't like holding on to merchandise for long because there was a larger risk of being caught. Also, he ran on a tight schedule which meant he'd have more work than normal to do since he already had another client wanting to make a purchase. Oh well, he'd manage. He hung up the phone and stared at the sleeping brunette as he planned out his next moves.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Target acquired

Hello everyone :D I hope you enjoy is chapter.

Reiner sat in his car which was parked in the Rosewall high-school, examining the oblivious students. His next victim needed to be a blond, and preferably male. Reiner searched the crowd for the perfect person, his client liked smaller more fragile looking people and was one hell of a sadist so someone who bruised easily would do nicely. His eyes scanned he crowd until he spotted the perfect target, it was the kid he bumped into at the mall. He was talking with a brown haired boy and an Asian girl. Reiner gritted his teeth, he was by no means a racist, but he had a grudge against an Asian girl who had escaped him.

Flashback:  
"She'll fetch a nice price, I'd say at about $40000. But make sure not to damage the face, also virgins sell more if ya understand were I'm going with this Reiner." A tall dark haired male said. "I got it Bertolt" Reiner said as he took a glance at the female lying tied up on the floor. From what little he knew about her, her name was Mikasa and she was a few years younger than him. She bore a blank expression and didn't say or do anything other than breath. "Just making sure, male teens can be very needy when it comes to" "I get it, sheesh..." Reiner muttered to his mentor. He may have been new to the trafficking business but wasn't stupid.

"Good, now go search the cabin if they have any beer. I need a drink" Bertolt said. Reiner grumbled and went into the kitchen, highly doubting any alcohol would be in there. He searched the empty cabinets and decided to try his luck with the pantry when he heard a knock. "I got it" Bertolt called from the other room and moments later there was a thud as well as a groan. He must've attacked the person knocking or something, so Reiner ignored it. Deciding there was no beer or alcohol to be found he headed out from the kitchen and instinctively hid once he saw Bertolt on the floor and some kid freeing Mikasa.

"Shit" Reiner muttered. How did that small kid take him down? Regardless Reiner could not let them escape. "Eren..." Mikasa said just lowly enough for the boy to hear. "There was two of them" no sooner had the words left her mouth Reiner grabbed Eren by the neck and rammed him into the wall. "Mikasa... Help..." He spat out and Reiner tightened his grip. "I can't..." She whispered as she shivered. "Fight, if you don't, you die. You n-need to fight to live... Mikasa" Eren choked out. Mikasa stood there for a moment and Eren was close to loosing consciousness, Reiner smirked, the girl was too terrified to do anything. Now all that was left was to secure the girl once the brat was dead- "GAH!" Reiner cried as something found its way into his back. Mikasa let out a yell as she stuck the knife into Reiner once more before running over to Eren. "Eren are you okay?" She asked. He nodded and stood up, "lets get out of here"

"Are you two okay?" Eren's father asked as he examined them for any serious wounds. Eren nodded while Mikasa stared at the flames. Her family was dead, but she was alive and safe thanks to Eren. So was she supposed to be happy or sad? The raven haired girl blinked, somewhat disturbed, why was she not sad? She didn't feel anything, just emptiness. No sadness, no relief, just nothing. She was brought out of her thoughts as a scarf was wrapped around her. "You looked cold" Eren said with a sincere smile. Mikasa silently thanked him and stroked the scarf. "Hey Mikasa?" Dr. Yeager asked. She looked at him, "how would you like to stay with us?" He asked. Mikasa nodded knowing she didn't really have much of a choice. She looked over at Eren and decided that the new change wouldn't be so bad after all.

Flashback End~

Reiner blinked and looked closer, an Asian girl AND a brunette with green eyes, call him crazy, but he didn't see it as a coincidence. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he glared at the oblivious teens. This was no longer just work, it was personal.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: decision

Have you ever been in a situation were you noticed what seemed like signs pointing to something that's about to happen? Jean can't say he had the feeling up until now. Something was going to happen, and he wasn't to sure it'd be good. Jean was never an overly observant person, but sometimes he would notice the strangest of things, even if he usually forgot about them. However it didn't always happen, once in a while he'd remember it and it might big him. That was the case with today.

When he first noticed it he was exiting the building alone since Marco was staying after to catch up on some work missed during his absence. He looked around and happened to take a mental note of a brown car. Nothing really stood out about it and Jean brushed it off, was having a brown car all that? However the next two times he saw the car he noticed something strange. A person was always in the car and seemed to be waiting, possibly looking for someone. When the car would leave, he also noticed Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were all, or at least one was leaving the parking lot. It could be a coincidence but Jean's gut said otherwise. What if the car was following them? He'd hate to think something bad might happen to people he begun to think of as friends that he could've prevented.

"I'm late!" Jean cried as he dashed out the house and looked at his watch, 7:50 and the fireworks started in ten minutes. Not to mention Marco was probably waiting nervously and has been for at least ten minutes, and Jean didn't have anything to use as an apology but pushed those thoughts out of his head. He turned the corner and just because life hated him, ran into someone. "Ouch..." A familiar voice mumbled. Jean looked to see Armin sitting on the sidewalk with a few books scattered about. "Sorry Armin!" Jean said quickly as he helped the boy gather his books before taking off again. Armin yelled thanks and continued to walk while Jean ran pat another person; this time not bumping into them. He didn't get a very good look at the guy, but he did know was tall and blond. Jean turned the corner again.

It was 7:55, not good, not good, he thought as he stopped for air. He glanced back from were he just came from and felt a chill run down his spine. Maybe he should go back and help Armin? After all, it was dark out and Armin was rather small. Jean shook his head, Marco was waiting for him and at this point was probably really antsy, besides, the town had a low crime rate. Jean looked at his watch, 7:56, time to get going. He could go back and miss the fireworks or race ahead and might he able to make it. He choose to go forward.

Jean arrived at eight and Marco let out a sigh of relief, "I was afraid you weren't gunna show" "Sorry, but I'm here now, aren't I?" Jean said as he sat down. Marco smiled and offered his boyfriend some kettle corn, which he accepted. The first of the fireworks lit up the night sky and Marco's eyes lit up with them. Jean smiled, Marco always had nice eyes. He sighed with content and ate some more kettle corn. He felt kinda silly for worrying about Armin earlier, after all, he'd be fine.

"Thanks Jean, I had fun" Marco said as he gave the other's hand a playful squeeze. Jean nodded and smiled, "no problem" Marco came closer, pink dusting his cheeks. Jean was about to say something when he felt a pair of lips on his own. He turned bright red but didn't pull away. The kiss didn't grow more passionate and Marco pulled away, slightly embarrassed. "Um...?" He said, looking for a hopefully positive response from Jean. Jean blinked and not wanting to make Marco feel bad, smiled. "Good night" he said as he gave him a kiss on the cheek before quickly leaving. "I can't believe that happened" he thought to himself, but he shouldn't be surprised. They were dating for crying out loud! So it wasn't unnatural for a couple to do that sort of thing. However Jean still didn't think it felt right, but as usual, told himself to shut up.

"Hey Mikasa, is Eren staying late at work?" Armin asked as he set his books down. Mikasa shook her head and motioned for him to come over to the kitchen to eat dinner. It was soup from a can since Mikasa didn't excel in cooking, but it was food nonetheless. "He is staying at levi's" she grumbled angrily. Other than that the two ate in silence since Eren wasn't home; he was usually the one to start the conversations. Once dinner was done Armin did the dishes and Mikasa went to go sulk in her room and probably think of ways to murder Levi if Eren came home with any...marks. Armin shuddered at the thought of how that would go down.

Not far away in the shadows stood a male outside a white van. He was armed and was glaring at the apartment room of three oblivious teens, one of which wasn't home tonight. Reiner began to walk toward the building, tonight, he'd have his revenge.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: the wrong choice

Mikasa and Armin didn't show up to school that day. Eren didn't know what happened since he had spent the night at someone's house, so when he went home the next morning with Levi, he expected both of them to be at at school. He opened the door, and the rest seemed fuzzy from there. Even now as he sat in the interrogation room with the police officer his head was still unclear. "Can you tell me what you saw?" He asked, Eren stayed silent for a moment.

"I opened the door and saw the house was a mess" he said. Glass from various things was scattered on the floor and some furniture was tipped over or broken. The lights were still on and thankfully nothing was stolen, but his friends were gone. "MIKASA?! ARMIN?!" He had called; of course no one answered and Eren sunk to his knees, trembling. Levi wrapped an arm around him and stayed with him for a few minutes, not saying a word. "I'll call the police" he said as he got up and went to the kitchen where everything wasn't trashed. "Anything else?" The officer asked Eren, bringing him back to reality. "No" he said as he stood up.

Last night: 8:20  
"Done" Armin said as he put the pot on the drying rack. He dried his hands as well as the counter and went to go sit down on the couch with a good book he got from the library. However a few pages into his book there was a knock at the door. Armin sat up and went to go get it, but who would visit them at this hour? It wasn't Eren since he was at Levi's and had his own key. Well Armin would find out soon enough. He opened the door to find someone he didn't know. Maybe they had the wrong room. Armin opened his mouth to say something but only a muffled yelp escaped him as a cloth was pressed to his face and an arm wrapped around him. He tried to struggle as the person behind him closed the door but he had an iron grip. "Oh no, this is chloroform!" Armin thought as he began to grow dizzy, he had to warn Mikasa, but how?

Without much options and the fact he would loose consciousness in a matter of seconds he kicked the little table by the door knocking off the picture of him, Mikasa, and Eren causing a noise Mikasa would definitely hear. The man behind him growled and the chloroform took effect. Reiner set Armin down and scowled as he heard a door open. "Armin-" Mikasa stopped and began to emit a murderous aura as she glared at Reiner. "Who are you?" She growled. "Tsk, you'd think you would remember me. After all Mikasa, you're the only person who's escaped me besides that other brat." He said with a smirk. Mikasa's eyes widened and she clenched her fist. "You...MONSTER!" She yelled as she ran at him.

Reiner got out of the way and Mikasa quickly stopped, turned, and barely had time to block Reiner's fist. "You killed my family" she growled as she threw a punch. Reiner dodged and pulled out a handgun. "Well don't forget about my deceased partner." He said. Mikasa stilled and if looks could kill, Reiner would be dead. "Don't move he ordered" as he pulled out handcuffs with his free hand. He kept the gun on Mikasa as he moved behind her. "Too easy" he thought as he got ready to cuff her when something hard hit him in the head and knocked the gun from his hand. He growled as Mikasa kicked him in the side, causing him to fall on his rear into the living room.

Mikasa ran at him ready to maul him but Reiner got out of the way and she ran into the couch. Reiner stood up and pulled out a knife. Mikasa rolled out of the way as a knife found its way into the couch. Reiner quickly pulled the knife out and dodged Mikasa's angry fist. He then swiped the knife at her, pleased when he saw small droplets of red on the blade. He got a cut on her arm, but Mikasa wasn't concerned since it wasn't deep. Instead she took a few steps back and threw a nearby vase at the intruder. Reiner dodged it and it broke upon impact with the floor. Reiner then tried to flip the coffee table the vase was once on onto Mikasa but she got out of the way and hurled on of Armin's hardback books at him, hitting him square in the face.

"GAH! Dammit!" Reiner cried and Mikasa used the opening to snatch the knife from him and swiped it at him. Reiner barley got out of the way and flipped the couch, causing Mikasa to leap back. He then charged at her and they began to exchange blows. After a few minutes both had bruises and were even more pissed. Mikasa threw another punch at him but Reiner caught it and flipped her. Mikasa hit the ground hard and let out a grunt. Reiner pulled out the chloroform and Mikasa jumped back on her feet before grabbing Reiner's hands in an attempt to snatch the chemical from him. The two struggled over the chemicals until the bottle broke and each pulled back. Not good, both swayed a little due to the smell, not sure if they would black out or not. Mikasa took a step back and looked at her hands. Red trickled down her palms onto the floor but it didn't hurt. She pulled the glass out quickly and returned her attention back to Reiner who had done the same.

Out of the two Mikasa's hands were hurt the worst but she'd manage. Reiner made the first move, he charged at Mikasa and slammed her into the wall. She hissed and kneed him in the gut causing him to stumble back. Help, if she could make it to the kitchen she could call the police- "UGH!" Mikasa clutched her arm and stumbled back. Reiner smirked at the damaged he caused with his recovered knife. Mikasa frowned, the cut was deeper than she would of liked. "Ready to give up?" Reiner asked. Mikasa growled, "never! You'll pay for this" she said as she charged at him. Reiner tried to flip her again but Mikasa caught on and moved out of the way. She made an attempt for the kitchen again but was tackled by the persistent blond.

Both fell to the floor and tried to do as much damage to the other as possible. There was biting, scratching, hair pulling, and fist were thrown until they both managed to get back on thief feet, both tired from the fight. "Looks like round 1 is a tie" Reiner said after about a minute of tense silence. Mikasa grunted in response, and charged.

Find out who wins in the next chapter! And reviews are always welcome :D


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Relief

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoy this chapter

Saturday (Today) 9:43 pm  
"ARMIN?! MIKASA!?" Eren called out as he looked around for any sings of his friends. "Eren, I know you're worried but maybe we should stop looking for today." Marco said. "Stop? I can't! If I were missing Armin and Mikasa would be doing the same, besides, the policie don't exactly have them as their top priority" Eren said as he tried calling for them again. "How about this, Eren you go home and I'll look around for at least another twenty minutes. We can try again tomorrow once we've gotten more rest. Okay?" Jean said. Eren hesitated, he didn't want to say no, but he was tired. "You promise you'll look for them?" He asked. Jean nodded, "I promise" "thank you Jean" Eren said wearily. Jean nodded.

"Jean, its getting late. I'm going home, and pretty soon you should too." Marco said. Jean nodded, "okay, take care" Marco walked off and Jean looked at his watch, 9:53, he'd give the search until ten he told himself. Jean wondered deeper into the woods, "MIKASA? ARMIN?" He called out. He waited, not expecting an answer, but there was. "Hello? ANYONE?" A familiar voice called. Jeans heart skipped a beat, "ARMIN! IT'S JEAN WHERE ARE YOU?!" He asked. "OVER HERE FOLLOW MY VOICE!" Armin called. Jean followed the voice until he spotted a car. It was a white van on its side and had glass everywhere. "Armin!? Are you in the car?! Don't worry i'll get you out!" Jean cried.

Earlier  
"Fuck!" Reiner swore as he woke up. He fell asleep on the job and would soon be late to the meeting with his client, not to mention he still had two (fully awake and pissed) "passengers" in the back. He ignored the two passengers in the back, one of which was hitting the glass separating them (which is what woke him up) and started the car. He began to drive full speed toward his destination. However Reiner, and any other driver, should never drive to fast when turning, because the laws of physics apply to driving.

The car flipped over and landed on its side, causing the windshield to break. Mikasa and Armin didn't have any seat belts or anything to hold onto and went flying. Armin quickly covered his head with his arms and Mikasa tried to do the same but hit the side of the car first. Armin hit the side as well but at least had some protection for his head. The air was knocked out of both if them. Armin could taste blood in his mouth and Mikasa was out cold. "Ugh..." Armin groaned, he had to get up. He needed to get help. Armin tried to pull himself up but his world went black.

Armin had no idea how long he had been out, but knew it couldn't too been to long. Whatever the case he knew he needed to get himself and Mikasa some help. He sat up and crawled over to Mikasa. She would probably have a concussion and was bleeding lightly but other than that she should be fine. Armin looked around, the glass separating them from the driver was cracked, but still in tact. It must've shielded them from the windshield glass but the driver wasn't so lucky. Armin frowned upon seeing the man who kidnapped him but he guess he had to help him too. If he could get out that is. The small windows in the back where broken but too small for Armin to crawl out of.

"Maybe I can reach the door handles" Armin muttered to himself as he dragged himself up and made his way over. As carefully as he could he put his arm through the hole in the cracked glass and tried to reach for the handle. He almost had it when he felt the glass dig into his arm. Armin bit his lip but didn't take his arm back. If he could get out then it'd be worth the damaged arm. He pressed further into the glass, trying to reach the handle but couldn't. He pulled his injured arm back and growled. "Dammit!" He swore. They where stuck out in the woods in a car with no phone or anyone to help. Armin was scared, cold, and really angry but what could he do about it? Nothing. He bit his lip, "what should I do?" He asked himself. Maybe if he could get Mikasa to wake up she could reach the handle? Her arms where longer, but she had a concussion so probably couldn't do it.

Armin didn't know how long he waited there and tried to think of plans to get out as well as what he'd do after. He didn't want to give up but felt himself beginning to panic. What if no one fund them and they were stuck out here till they died? No one would know what would happen to them and Eren, Eren would be ruined. Armin stood up, his determination renewed. After all, he shouldn't just give up and let them die, they were still needed. Armin decided he was going to try his luck with the glass that separated them from their captor to see if he could get out, also, he might have a phone. Armin stood up, but how was he going to break it?

Armin huffed as he began to think of what to do when he could've sworn he heard a voice. He perked up, was someone out there. He heard it again and brightened up, "Hello? ANYONE?" He called. He waited eagerly for a reply, "ARMIN! It's Jean where are you?!" "Over here, follow my voice!" He said.

Now:  
Jean made his way over to the back of the van. Armin was waiting for him inside, "Jean, thank god your here!" Armin said. "Looks like I got here just in time. Is Mikasa with you?" He asked, Armin nodded, "but she is out cold, can you help us get out" he asked. Jean nodded and tried to open the doors, they wouldn't budge. "Hang on, I'll get the keys" Jean said. He made his way over to the drivers side and opened the door. He froze, a man lay in the seat unconscious and was most likely the person responsible for their disappearance. He brushed it off, right now he needed to get Mikasa and Armin out of the van. The drivers side was facing up so Jean didn't have much trouble grabbing the keys. He shut the door and made his way back to Armin.

"Ready to get out?" He asked, although he knew the answer. Armin nodded and jean opened the door. "Here, help me get Mikasa" Armin said. Jean nodded, "I will, but first I'm going to call for help." Jean said as he pulled out his phone. He called the police and then helped get Mikasa out of the van. She stirred and opened her eyes, but didn't move. They rested her against a tree and sat down by her. In about fifteen minutes the police and paramedics arrived and took a look at Armin and Mikasa.

"You two should be fine but make sure she takes it easy for the next few days, okay?" The paramedic said and Armin and Jean nodded. "Alright, you'll be taking a ride back to town with the police, they'll ask you some questions and you'll be free to go." The paramedic said and turned them loose. The ride to the station was quiet, all three of the teens ready to go home.

And that concludes the crime part of this story, next chapter we go back to the romance :3 I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and reviews are always welcome.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Fall festival

Hello hello everyone! It's been a little while since I last updated, sorry about that. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

"Can you believe it?! The fall festivals tomorrow!" Sasha said. "Man Sasha, I've never seen you so excited about something that's not food." Marco said. "Nah, Sasha is just looking forward for the pie eating contest. The winner gets a week worths of pie." Connie deadpanned. "Figures" Jean muttered, earning a few chuckles from everyone. "Oh yeah, speaking of festivals, why don't we all go as a group?" Eren asked. Everyone agreed, either by nodding or saying something along the lines of "Sure" or " Sounds like a plan". "Alright then! We'll meet at the entrance at 6:30" Eren said.

The next day~  
"Ugh! This is torture!" Sasha whined, "Sasha, we've only been waiting here for three minutes" Jean said. "That's forever!" She pouted, "Besides, I'm hungry, can't we get a caramel apple while we wait?" "But don't you want to save your appetite for the pie eating contest?" Connie asked. "But its just a snack! I'm not going to be scarfing down on funnel cakes or..." Sasha's mouth began to water slightly as she thought of the many foods the festival had to offer. "Hey there they are" Marco said as five people approached them (Mikasa, Annie, Armin, Levi, and Eren).

"Hey g-" Armin never got the chance to finish his sentence. "YAHOO! They're here!" Sasha cried as she dragged Connie to the caramel apple stand. "Hello everyone" Marco said. "Hi-" Armin tried to say but once again was interrupted. "Hey Levi, lets go get a caramel apple!" Eren said as he dragged his boyfriend away.

"Sasha your about to enter the pie eating contest, you can eat the kettle corn later" Connie said as he held the bag away from said bottomless pit. "But the contest isn't for another ten minutes!" Sasha whined. Connie face palmed, "You never do anything unrelated to food Sasha" "Attention, all participants for the pie eating contest please make your way to stage 3. I repeat all participants for the pie eating contest please make your way to stage 3" a woman said into a megaphone. Sasha stopped fighting and raced toward stage 3, Armin and Marco chuckled and everyone followed.

The pie contest had eleven participants in total, and Sasha stood out like a sore thumb. Not only was she one of the two girls participating in the event, she was the smallest person there. Most of the contestants were bulkier males around their early thirties to mid forties. From the looks of it they were pretty confident they would win, but obviously never met Sasha. Pies were set down in front of all of them. "Contestants, are you ready?" The woman from earlier asked, followed by the crowds cheer. "START!" She yelled, and the contestants dug into their food.

It wasn't surprising (to those who knew her anyway) Sasha was the first person to finish a pie. A man in his thirties with scruffy blonde hair and aftershave was next. Everyone watched in silence as the number of contestants gradually began to go down. The scene went down as expected, Sasha who's face was a mess and looked like she might go into a food coma stood on the stage, her arm held high in the air for all to see. The woman was congratulating her for eating a total of thirty-seven pies and had won a weeks worth of pie (her choosing).

The rest of the festival was excellent as well, Eren won (well, Levi won it for him) the giant bunny rabbit he wanted, Mikasa and Annie had a not so friendly strength competition with the high striker (hit the thing with the hammer and see if you can ring the bell) resulting in it breaking and a tie, and now it was time to watch the fireworks together.

"A perfect way to end a perfect night, huh?" Marco said as he sat down next to his friends. Armin nodded while everyone else seemed to be in their own world or in another conversation. "Oh look, there's the first one!" Eren squealed as a green firework shot up into the sky. Everyone "oohed" and "ahhed" as different colored fireworks lit up the night sky. After about an hour the show ended and people were getting ready to head home. Marco was in the restroom so Jean decided to wait for him so he could walk him home. Armin was also there, seeing as Eren had run off with Levi and Mikasa was having an arm wrestling match with Annie.

"Tonight was fun" Jean said as he looked over at Armin, who nodded in response. The boy had a warm glow but seemed ready to go home and pass out on his bed. The dim light made his hair almost glow around the edges and his blue eyes, although tired, seemed to shine righter than any star. Jean looked away as he realized he might creep Armin out with all the staring. "Well, I'm sorry to leave you Jean, but I'm going to get Mikasa and go." Armin said. "It's fine, goodnight" Jean said.

Armin nodded with a sleepy smile and took a step forward, and being as clumsy as possible due to his fatigue, he tripped. Jean instinctively reached his arm out and grabbed him, but his balance betrayed him and they both ended up on the ground. And since the universe just had to, their lips came touched. Jean had no idea what possessed him, but he had the urge to kiss the blond. It wasn't until Armin let out a squeak Jean got up, very embarrassed. "S-sorry!" He said as he helped the smaller boy up. "I-it's okay..." Armin trailed off, his face twenty different shades of red. "I'm going to go get Mikasa." He said as he walked off, taking more care not to trip.

Meanwhile Jean stared at the ground where he and Armin were a few seconds ago, the memory still fresh in his brain. He and Armin, in a way, kissed. To make matters worse, he liked it.

How was that? Thank you for reading and reviews are always welcome :)


	13. Attention: OC's wanted

Dear viewers,  
Just so you know, I am closing the submission for OC's (just leave a review if you want to submit one) on the 24th (tomorrow). Thank you to those who have already submitted OC's.

-Cosmic Synopsis


	14. Chapter 13

Hello everyone! First off, I'd like to thank the people who have submitted OC's: kiyoki124, PuppyKatGirl, and Yoshika Dream. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and reviews are wonderful.

Lyia scowled as she lit her cigarette, she had been on the case of Jamal for a week now, so when she heard the case was being closed she had hoped the boy had been found. "The body is ready for examination Lyia" One of the scientists said as he motioned for her to follow. Lyia followed the man until they reached an observation table with a body covered by a white sheet. The sheet was removed, revealing a boy no older than 19 with short dark brown hair. His eyes were closed and he sported multiple cuts and bruises as well as rope burned wrists.

Lyia's frown deepened, "Cause of death?" Dr. Sink wordlessly pulled more of the sheet back to reveal around seven stab wounds. "Great, we have another crazy stalker on the loose." She muttered as she turned around and walked away.

Gale A. Swift was not a very social person, it wasn't that she was stuck up or anything, it was just that she wasn't that good at it. She didn't sugar coat things, as she learned some people couldn't handle things without and to others seemed to come off as a rather cold person. This was not entirely true. Gale was an absolute sweetheart once you got to know her, the problem was most people didn't bother to and only saw her bad side. If you got on her nerves, she would not let it slide. She would humiliate them to the point of crying with words and when she did so she seemed to be void of any emotion. So long story short, she didn't seem approachable to others.

"Calm down," she whispered to herself and she tried to refrain from tugging on the sleeves of her thin, black coat. "You can do this. Why, by the end of the day you'll have friends for sure!" She said as she wiped the imaginary dust off her black pants and marched into the building. Thankfully it's layout wasn't complicated so getting to class would be a breeze. Unfortunately for her, the teacher wasn't there yet and the door was locked. Gale scowled, she hated waiting for teachers to open there class rooms. "Well I guess I can come back later" she said as she turned and left.

Gale absentmindedly walked through the halls, her amber eyes fixed forward and her flaming blonde hair (that went down to her waist) swishing with each movement she made. Gale moved her eyes from where she was going for one second and of course crashed into someone. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off. "Oh, sorry" a boy said. Gale quickly examined him. He was a bit shorter than her with bright blond hair down to his chin. His skin was paler than hers but didn't make him look sick but more so like a doll, and his eyes were a vibrant blue, her favorite color.

"Um, hello" She said. "Hi" Armin said back with a smile. "Heading toward the library?" He asked. Gale blinked before noticing she was standing by the entrance. "Why, yes" she said, not wanting to tell him she was just wondering around aimlessly. "So am I. I'm Armin by the way." Armin said as he held out his hand for her to shake. "Gale" Gale replied with a warm smile as she shook his hand.

Time passed quicker than she had liked and all too soon she found herself and Armin parting ways. "I'll see you at lunch, okay?" Armin asked. "Sure" Gale said as Armin walked off, taking Gale's smile with him. Gale reluctantly began her walk to class only to find herself bump into so,done yet again. "Hey, watch where you're going!" Jean said with a scowl. Gale frowned, "sheesh, way to over-react" She said bluntly. Jean scowled and stormed off whilst grumbling to himself. Gale continued to mutter to herself as she walked off to class, today was going to be a long day, but at least she made one friend she thought with a smile.

Her hazel eyes scanned the cafeteria for someone who looked approachable. It was Bella's first day and she would not be the kid with no friends. Her eyes quickly scanned the cafeteria, knowing she didn't have much time left until she'd have to make her move. She frowned seeing no one she deemed the "ideal" friend, they either looked to boring or mischievous or their hair was too messy, their eating habits not good enough. Bella blinked, she had really high standards. And it wasn't just on friends either, books, clothing, food, if it didn't meet a certain criteria it wouldn't do. The blonde haired girl sighed, no wonder it was hard to make friends. She began to head for an empty table in the back when a blond haired boy caught her eyes.

She turned and began to observe the people at the table. None of them seemed like trouble makers or do dull. The brunettes that where quarreling might be an issue but she'd push that aside for now. Most of them had decent eating habits, save for the girl who was scarfing all her food down. Aside from the two male mentioned earlier they weren't too loud, so why not? Bella thought as she began to walk over.

"Hello, may I sit with you?" She asked in a sweet voice.


	15. Chapter 14

Hello everyone, its been a while hasn't it? Lots of stuff has been going on (including me getting a cold) but now I'm back with another chapter. :)

It had been one week since the two new students Gale and Bella had transferred and each had settled in nicely. Bella warmed up to everyone instantly, she was always smiling and polite, which drew many people to her. She got along well with everyone (for the most part) and seemed to adore Armin. Gale wasn't as quick to warm up to everyone but was just as sweet once they got to know her. She didn't quiet get along with Jean at first but they currently considered one another friends, but they got along nonetheless.

"What are you doing here Arlert? The woman's room is the other way" Kevin Brant said with a sneer. He was a tall boy with a muscular build, dark brown hair, and mischievous brown eyes. He also had gotten into the habit of picking on Armin since his last victim, Cardin Gates moved away last Tuesday. Armin ignored him and kept walking, he didn't need any trouble and just wanted to get to class. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" He growled as he yanked Armin back by the wrist, causing him to drop his books. Armin frowned and tried to pull his arm away, "let go of me" he said in a calm voice. Kevin snickered, "Or what? You'll talk me to death about geography?" Kevin let go, "Whatever, you aren't worth my time." "If I'm not worth your time then why do you pick on me?" Armin thought but didn't say as Kevin walked away (that rhymes :D).

Armin sighed and went to pick up his books. After getting the last one he stood up and was about to go to class when a voice stopped him. "Armin? Why are your books on the floor?" It was Bella. "Someone knocked them over on accident." Armin lied. Bella gave him a look, but said nothing. "I'll be going to class, see you!" He said with a smile. Bella nodded, "Okay, but Armin, remember you can always come to a friend if you need help." Bella said as the blond walked away, leaving the blonde teen alone.

"Oh man I can't wait to eat, I'm STARVING" Eren said as they waited in the lunch line. "You sound like Sasha" Mikasa commented as she grabbed a bottle of water. "I'll see you guys at the table" Armin said as he left with his tray, normally he'd stay but the lunch room was filling up fast and their group had yet to get a table. Armin began to hum to himself as he walked over to a vacant table. Armin set his tray down and was about to sit down when he was unexpectedly doused with a mysterious liquid he later determined to be milk. Armin yelped in surprised and moment later laughter erupted from behind him. Armin, feeling humiliated began to walk toward the restroom to dry himself off. "What's wrong Arlert?!" A voice asked as the boy left the cafeteria. Kevin's victory didn't last long, a shadow loomed over him. He turned to find it was Mikasa.

Armin frowned, the bathroom was out of paper towels and there was no way he'd use one off the floor. He went into one of the stalls and pulled out some toilet paper before getting to work. Armin was very absorbed in the task at hand and didn't notice when Jean walked in. "Armin are you okay?" He asked, causing the boy to jump. "J-jean don't scare me like that" Armin said before returning to cleaning his clothes. "I don't think that's going to work." Jean said. Armin sighed, knowing he was right. "Well what am I supposed to do?" Armin said. "Go to the nurse" Armin frowned, "no, the only thing they'd have in my size is something girly" "well-" jean was tcut off by a glare from Armin. "Come on, at least give the nurse a shot" Jean said. Armin huffed, "fine" "besides, I'm sure you wouldn't look bad in a skirt" Jean said, although he had meant to only think it. Both he and Armin turned scarlet, "l-lets just go"

When both of them got to the nurse's office no one was there, so they just started to search through the lost and found. "Maybe this one will fit" Jean said as he held a red t shirt up to Armin, once again it was too big, but it was small enough that it'd due. "Thanks" Armin said as he took off his blue shirt and began to put it on. Armin wrinkled his nose, the school used pretty weird detergent while Jean found himself going pink. "What wrongs with me? I've seen a guy shirtless before" he thought as Armin's head poked out from the shirt. "Okay, we can go" Armin said and they left without another word.

"What? Only Mikasa got detention? That's horrible!" Bella said. "That dick head deserved it" Gale grumbled. "Ahem, language" Bella said. "Are you sure they didn't get detention or some other punishment?" Marco asked. Mikasa shook her head, "it doesn't matter. Now they know not to make the same mistake again." "Indeed!" Bella said with a smile, "or else they'll regret it".


	16. Chapter 15

Hello everyone and here's another chapter!

Lyia made sure her curly, light brown hair was in order before knocking once on the door. A few moments passed before a you get female answered the door. She was rather tall and had short, deep blue hair and light blue eyes. She also wore a red t shirt and grey sweats. "Marina Hopkins?" Lyia asked in a monotone voice. "What do you want?" The girl asked sternly. "I'm detective Lyia and am currently investigating the case concerning Jamal" Marina tensed, "come in" Both took a seat in the living room which had random boxes scattered around, "I'm moving after the funeral" Marina said solemnly, "Can I get you anything?" She asked. Lyia shook her head and pulled out a pen and notepad. "So tell me about Jamal, anything you think may help with the investigation" marina nodded, "I'll do my best"

Every since the milk incident Armin noticed his friends grow a tad but more possessive of him during school hours. Kevin hadn't picked on him yet but they didn't want to tempt him. Armin thought it was nice that his friends cared so much but there was a point where enough was enough. Armin sighed, he had just escaped Eren and was debating weather or not to go to the library. He wanted to but they would most likely look for him there. Armin sighed and decided to just walk around. Armin decided it was time to start heading to class seeing as he was board of wondering around. Armin turned around and if course, had to come face to face (well more like face to chest, plus they weren't to close to each other) to Kevin.

"Arlert, fancy meeting you here." He said as he grit his teeth, one of which was missing. Other than that he had a few bruises that shone past his sleeves as evidence to the fight he had gotten into with Mikasa. Armin said nothing as he got ready to run away but Kevin was faster, he latched onto the boy and threw him against the wall, earning a groan from Armin. "You're such a coward, you know that? Having Mikasa bail you out of trouble." He hissed. "I didn't-" Armin was cut off. "SHUT UP!" Kevin yelled as he punched the blond in the gut hard. "Gah!" Armin sunk to his knees but didn't stay down long. He got back up, angering Kevin even more. "You make me sick, but now your "friends" aren't around to protect you" he attempted to grab Armin by the hair but Armin got out of the way. He may not hit Kevin back, but he didn't want to take it lying down.

"Why are you mad at me? You've brought this on yourself. And now all you're doing is asking for trouble." Armin said. Kevin sneered, "what? You're going to sick Mikasa on me again? Then I'll just have to make it so you can't talk." Kevin balled up his fist and charged at Armin. Armin saw the attack coming from a mile away. He side stepped Kevin's attack and dashed down the hall as the bell rang, "oh great, there goes my perfect attendance" Armin thought but pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He had bigger problems at the moment. Kevin wasn't far behind, and was gaining fast, his face twisted with fury. Armin turned the corner, ignoring the fact his arm hit the wall and wasn't happy about it.

"Get back here!" Kevin shouted as he increased his speed. Armin didn't even have time to blink as he felt a hand grab onto his shirt. Time seemed to slow down a bit as he was dragged backward and a fist was raised. Armin closed his eyes and the next thing he knew he was on the floor. He didn't even have to open his eyes to tell his nose was bleeding; not broken, just bleeding. Armin groaned and he tried to stand up, only to have Kevin yank on his hair. Armin bit his lip to stop himself from yelping, he would not give Kevin the satisfaction. "What's wrong Arlert? Not used to fighting your own battles?" He mocked as he released the blond. Armin didn't respond and Kevin scoffed, "Whatever, I'm leaving." True to his word Kevin simply walked away, not sparing Armin a second glance.

"How did this happen?" The nurse asked as she handed Armin a tissue. "Kevin punched me in the face" Armin mumbled. The nurse sighed, "This isn't good, why I'll tell the principal while you stay here and fix yourself up. And don't move till I get back." She ordered. Armin nodded and she left without another word. Armin hated to admit it, but he felt close to crying. "Why do I have to be so weak?" He thought as he wiped away the tears. "Don't you dare cry" he whispered as he wiped his eyes again. "A-Armin?" A surprised voice asked. Armin jumped and saw it was Jean with Connie, who was sporting a gash on his cheek and leg. "Jean? What happened to Connie?" Armin asked. "He got scraped up in gym but what about you?" Jean asked with concern as he sat Connie down on a bed. "Yeah, you look beat up" Connie thought aloud. "I'm fine" Armin said as he grabbed another tissue. "Kevin did this to you didn't he? I swear to God Armin, I'll-" "it's fine Jean" Armin said quickly. "See? The bleeding is going down." He added as if it'd help.

Jean walked up to Armin and the smaller boy tensed as Jean quickly pulled him into a hug, "That bastards lucky he didn't do worse, but I swear Armin, I'm going to get him for this" "J-Jean" Armin said, his cheeks a light shade of pink. "GAAAAYYYY!" Connie called out, ruining the moment. Jean scowled and released Armin. "Shut up"

And that's it for this chapter! Poor Armin ): Stay tuned for next chapter and reviews are always lovely.


	17. Chapter 16

Hello everyone! Thanks for sticking with this story, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

"So what did you find out from the girl?" The police chief asked Lyia. "We have two suspects" she said as she lit a cigarette despite the no smoking sign over the door. "Go on" The chief ordered. Lyia sighed, "According to Marina he got detention three days before his disappearance for getting into a fight, but the kid he got into the fight with was suspended for two days. The kid's name is Adam Parker, and I'll be giving him a visit after the funeral." "And the other?" He asked. "A female, possibly a love interest but I can't say for sure" Lyia said with an annoyed expression.

Kevin scowled, two days detention for what he did to Arlert. "Stupid detention, dad's gunna ground me for sure." He grumbled, oblivious to the footsteps behind him. "I shoulda done worse" he said, then he'd at least be happier about the punishment he received. The footsteps grew quicker, the person behind him had quickened their pace. Out of curiosity Kevin turned his head to see who it was but felt a sharp pain in his head before his world went black.

"Attention students, as some of you may know a student has gone missing. Yesterday, sometime after detention Kevin Brant went missing. If any of you know where he is I suggest you report it to the front office immediately. "Hey, isn't that the guy who was picking on Armin?" Gale asked. "What do you think happened?" Marco whispered. "Well whatever happened, he deserved it. You can only bend a branch so far before it snaps." Bella said coldly. Marco felt himself shudder, Bella looked like she was going to kill somebody; it was very different from her usual self.

Two days later~

"I think Bella knows about Kevin." Gale blurted out but didn't regret it. Armin set his book down and remained silent. "I know you noticed, everyone has. I'm not one to automatically jump to conclusions but I know I'm right." She said. "I know she's acting weird but maybe its because she's on her..." Armin trailed off as Gale sent him a nasty glare. "Finish that sentence, I dare you." She said; of looks could kill, Armin would be dead. The boy remained silent while Gale calmed down, "I'm going to talk to her about it. I would also like for you to join me, but even if you don't I'll still do it." "It's not a good idea. She's clearly stressed about something, and having to deal with friendship problems won't help." Armin said.

Gale sighed, "Armin you can't deny something is up. Bella is going to spill it, weather she wants to or not. And I will make sure of it." "And how will you do that? You know it's rude to gossip about people." An icy voice replied. It was Bella and she looked rather irritated. "I can be very persuasive. I am also proactive. I won't lie around if there is a risk of a ticking time bomb waiting to go off a any second. Unlike some people" She looked at Armin, "I won't wait around." Bella's frown deepened, "I don't know a thing. And frankly it hurts me you don't trust me." The bitter blonde walked away and Gale was ready to follow, but Armin didn't let her. "Give her some time to cool off. I'll talk to her later." He said.

"Hey Armin, where are you off to?" Jean asked. "I'm going to see Bella." Armin said. He waved Jean goodbye and began to walk away for he was in no mood for small talk. The brunette simply let him be thinking nothing of it, but if he had known, he would have gone running after him.

Bella jumped as she heard the doorbell ring and then looked at her watch. Armin was coming over how could she forget? She ran over to the door and opened it. "Hello Armin, come in." She said and the boy gave a nod before stepping inside. Immediately he noticed a few packed boxes, "are you leaving? Is that why you've been so grumpy lately?" Armin asked. Bella shook her head and gestured for him to follow her into the living room.

Jean was simply minding his own business when Mikasa came up to him, "Jean" she said with her usual emotionless expression. He looked up, "Mikasa? What is it?" She tossed a jacket at him. "Did you leave it at lunch?" He shook his head, "Well it was in your general area and I doubt it belongs to Bella or Armin." Mikasa said as she turned around, "I'm off to find Eren" jean looked at the jacket and sighed, "I guess I'll bring it to the lost and found."

Jean was walking toward the lost and found when he ran into Gale, "hi" he said to be polite. Gale waved back but stopped as soon as she saw the jacket. "Jean... Where did you get that?" Jean blinked and held up the jacket. "Oh this, Mikasa gave it to me thinking it was mine. She thought I lost it at lunch. It's not so I'm taking it to the lost and found." He said. Gale grabbed the jacket and examined it closely as she had begun to pale. "I know who the owner is..." She whispered, barely audible to Jean. See looked up at him, concern and possibly fear in her amber eyes. "We have to go, now."

Jean didn't question as he began to follow her out of the school. He really did want to know what was going on though, and from what he could tell from Gale's behavior, it wasn't good. "What's going on?" Jean asked. "Do you know where Bella lives? From what I recall you did a project with her last week." Gale said, grateful for her excellent memory. "Yeah, follow me" he said.

"Are you okay?" Armin asked as he observed Bella. She was shaking slightly, her hair was disheveled and there were dark circles under her eyes. "F-fine" she lied. Something was eating at her, something she was dying to tell her friend. "But what would he think of me?" She thought, "Armin would hate me, I can't tell him!" She thought as she felt tears begin to form. She quickly wiped her eyes and tried to calm herself. "Be brave, you need to do this" she thought. Armin gave her a questioning look and she sighed, she as much as she wanted to tell him, she couldn't.

And that's a wrap! Ohh, we're getting close to the end of this section of the story. :3 stay tuned for the next chapter!


	18. Chapter 17

Hello everyone :D here's another chapter, and two updates in one day? I'm on a roll!

"We're almost there" Jean said between breaths. Gale nodded before taking off running again, and Jean followed after releasing an annoyed huff. She still hadn't told him anything and he hated being kept in the dark. "The jacket was Kevin's, I remember seeing him wear it" she said between a breaths, she was out of shape. Jean felt his heart stop, once again trouble had found him and his friends, and he had a feeling Armin was involved.

Armin may have seemed kinda calm on the outside, but in reality he was scared. Bella looked like she was about to snap, and it wouldn't be pretty. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it. "Bella, please tell me what's wrong. I promise I'll try and help you." Armin said as soothingly as he could. "Please don't hate me." She whispered. She flinched as Armin placed a hand on her shoulder, "don't worry, I won't"

Flashback:  
"Kelly what happened to you?" Bella asked as she rushed over to her sister who was cleaning her shirt. "Oh don't worry, it was an accident. I bumped into someone, they apologized so its okay." Kelly said with a smile. Bella nodded, "okay then as long as they didn't mean it"

Weeks went by and more and more accidents had been happening. Kelly would have bruises or damaged clothes but would always say it was an accident. "Kelly, please talk to me" Bella begged as she hugged her best friend. "There is nothing to talk about. I'm just clumsy, that's all." She said. "You know if someone's being mean to you I'll help you. You can rely on me." Bella said as she gave her friend a hug. But she never reached out.

"Look at this! They cut your hair! I wanna know who it is NOW." Bella demanded. "Just some girl who thought I liked Jamal. But it's okay, she got in trouble so I think it's all over." Kelly said with a smile despite her once pretty hair was all chopped off unevenly.

It had been three days, and things had gotten better. Kelly didn't experience any more accidents and Bella was relieved. Until she saw the scars. "I'm sorry Bella, I'm so so sorry. I-I couldn't stop myself. I've just been so sad lately." Kelly said as she began to sob. "Why?" Bella asked. "W-well it was because of those girls b-but I had tried to stop until I saw Jamal with one if the girls and I just c-couldn't handle it." Kelly said, feeling ashamed. "Sh, don't worry Kelly. I'll make the pain go away. No one hurts my friends." Bella said.

Flashback End

Bella flipped on the basement lights, "Bella...did you really..?" Armin asked. Bella said nothing as she led him further into the basement until they stopped I front of a fridge. Armin shuddered, he didn't want to see what could be inside. He wanted to go home, "Why am I a magnet for trouble?" He thought to himself while Bella looked at him with uncertainty. "Armin you have to options. One, you can go home and never come back. I'll be gone by tomorrow at noon. Two, you can keep going forward, but I can't tell you the outcome." Bella said. Armin felt his heart rate quicken, what was he supposed to do? He had a chance to go home and act like nothing happened or he could see what's inside.

Armin took a step forward, "Why did you do it?" Bella sniffed, "I regret it Armin. I really do, but I did it. I killed Jamal and Kevin." Armin stepped away from the fridge now that he had confirmed what was inside. Bella began to sob violently and Armin pulled her into a hug, unsure of what else he should do.

"Here it is." Gale said as she looked at the house. Jean was about to walk ahead of her when she stopped him and pulled out her phone. "Just in case, lets call the police. This is proof enough" gale said as she lifted the jacket. Jean nodded and she made the call. The police would send an investigator soon. Now all that was left was to play the waiting game, but neither of them felt like doing so. "I'll knock" Jean said but was cut off by the doorbell. He looked at Gale who simply shrugged.

"Oh no!" Bella said as she shook with fear. "Armin I'm scared!" She whined. "Sh, don't worry. Do you want me to go check it out?" He asked. She shook her head, "no, don't leave me" the doorbell rang again and Bella whimpered. "Maybe we should both go upstairs and see them" Armin said as he stood up and held out his hand. "No" Bella said. She continued to sit there wishing they would go away. "Bella please-" "NO!" Bella screamed as she stood up.

3:25 p.m. Bella is taken into custody and Armin Arlert is rushed to the hospital. The boy was reported to have a minor head injury and three broken ribs. The next day, Armin has yet to wake up and Jean, Eren, and Mikasa have been spending most their time in the hospital.

Jean sat there in silence, staring at the unconscious boy. Eren and Mikasa had went home moments ago and soon he would to. He grabbed Armin's smaller hand and squeezed it gently. "Armin, Armin please wake up..." He whispered. A single tear fell down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away. "You better wake up soon Armin." He said as he ran a hand through the boy's golden hair. "I love you."

And that's the end of that. Thanks for reading and reviews are awesome :)


	19. Chapter 18

Hello everyone :D here's another chapter, I hope you enjoy!

Jean smiled upon seeing his boyfriend Marco but it quickly faded. He confessed to liking someone else. "Jean what's wrong? Is it about Armin?" Marco asked with concern. "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine" Jean lied. He looked at the clock, two hours till school was over. Two hours until he could see Armin and if he was lucky, the boy would wake up and it'd be okay. "Your thinking about Armin again aren't you?" Marco asked trying his best not to sound depressed. He was also concerned for his friend's health but Jean's concern ran deeper than his and rivaled Mikasa and Eren's. Although Marco didn't want to admit it, he felt jealous and he was mad at himself for it.

Marco wished Armin was okay and had never gotten hurt in the first place, but for more than just the reason that he was a friend. It made him realize how much Jean cared for him, and Marco was certain Jean might start to develop feelings for him if he hadn't already. "That means its only a matter of time until..." Marco stopped his thoughts there and found himself frowning. He knew Jean was dating him solely out of guilt but tried very hard to deny it. He had almost fooled himself into it too, almost. Deep down he knew, and he also knew their days together where numbered so he should at least try and enjoy them. And he was right.

"Jean. I think you and I should go on a date." Marco said bluntly. "Huh?" Jean blinked, they hadn't gone on one in a while. "Well, you seem kinda stressed, so I figure this may help you calm down." Marco said; it was the truth but not necessarily all of it. "Sure, how about after school?" Jean said. Marco nodded, "sounds great."

"No, no, NO!" She screamed as she stood up and ran over to the nearest weapon she could find. "STAY HERE OR ELSE!" The deranged female hoisted the pipe above her head and Armin took a step back. "Bella calm down! It's okay, the sound will go away if we tell the person to go." "Nononono!" She said as she shook her head wildly. "Please, just put the pipe down." Armin said, he slowly walked up to her and placed a hand on her own. Bella relaxed slightly but her firm grip remained. "Here, let me see that." Armin said gently as he tried to remove the weapon from her hands. The doorbell went off again and Bella jerked away like a wild animal. "NOOO!" She screamed as she swung her weapon. Armin woke up breathing heavily. After calming himself down he noticed the pain in his head and that he wasn't at Bella's place anymore.

Jean checked his hair one more time before getting ready to leave for his date when he felt his phone vibrate, "hello?" He answered. "Jean, its Eren. Armin woke up! I'm at the hospital with him." Eren said excitedly. "Really!? Thanks for telling me Eren." Jean said, all his stress and worry now gone thanks to the unexpected phone call. Although it had made his day, it had also ruined someone else's.

There was a knock on the hospital door, "come in" a soft voice replied. Jean quickly opened the door to see Armin in bed with Eren and Mikasa by his side. "Oh, Jean? Good to see you." Armin said with a small smile that made Jean smile even wider. "Hey Armin, I got these for you." He said as he handed the blond a bouquet of flowers and a small card that said "Get well soon". "O-oh thanks" Armin said as he placed them on the table beside another bouquet given to him by his childhood friends. An awkward silence fell over everyone until Mikasa stood up, "I'm getting a drink and will be back soon. Come on Eren." Mikasa ordered as she pulled her adoptive brother to his feet. "What? Mikasa why do I have to go?" Eren whined as he was pulled out the door. Right before the door closed Mikasa muttered something that sounded similar to "Don't mess this up Jean" leaving the brunette a little flustered.

"Soo um...when will you be released from the hospital?" Jean said, trying to start a conversation. "The day after tomorrow, they still want to run a few tests." Armin said before they slipped into silence again. It wasn't as awkward as when Eren and Mikasa where there but Jean still wanted to break the silence. He was just unsure of what to say. So the pair just sat there for what felt like ages when in reality it was only about two minutes until Jean's phone went off. It was a text from Marco.

Marco: Jean, where are you? You're nearly twenty minutes late!  
Jean:SORRY! Something came up, but I'll be there soon.  
Marco:...it involves Armin doesn't it?  
Jean: can we please text about this later? I'm on my way bye.

"Sorry Armin, I gotta go. Something has come up." Jean said apologetically as he stood up. "Okay, bye Jean and thanks for the flowers" Armin said as the brunette left the room.

"There you are! You're thirty minutes late." Marco said with a scowl as he crossed his arms. "I'm sorry; Armin woke up and-" "so I was right" Marco said sadly. "Jean, I know its been crazy lately but all you ever think about is Armin. I think he's a great guy but this is getting out of hand. S choose: him or me? I'll give you some time to think about it." Marco said as he stormed off feeling angry and depressed. Meanwhile Jean face palmed himself, what was he going to do?

I think we all know the answer :) Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	20. Chapter 19

Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of Surprise! I hope you enjoy and thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing & stuff for this story. Also, just so you know and are not confused, its December 23rd in the story because I felt like it.

It had been a week since Marco told Jean to make up his mind but luckily for Jean, Marco seemed to have forgotten. Now they were all at Jean's house for a Christmas party. His parents would be out watching a movie and going to dinner for the duration of the party so he didn't have to worry about being embarrassed by them. Currently Sasha was having a marshmallow eating contest with Mikasa and Eren while Krista recorded the chaos. To everyone's surprise, Mikasa won but it was very close. In fact, if Sasha hadn't eaten before the contest she would've won. They watched the hangover and the nightmare before Christmas, which Armin knew by heart. Popcorn was flung, a mess was made, and most of them left early so they didn't need to clean up. The only people who stayed where Armin, Mikasa, Eren (who was a bit reluctant to do so), and Marco.

"Finally we're done!" Eren said as he plopped down on the couch. "Thanks for helping you guys" jean said, grateful they didn't bail out on him. "No problem" Marco said as he got up, "well, I'll be leaving. Goodbye." He said as he left the living room after everyone said their farewells. "We will be going too. Bye Jean." Eren said as he got up and left with Mikasa right behind him. Jean and Armin followed behind a little after, by the time they got to the door Eren and Mikasa where walking down the driveway. "Bye Jean" Armin said as both of them stood in the doorway. "Bye Armin." Jean said. Armin was about to walk away when a voice stopped him.

"Not so fast you two." Mikasa said darkly. "Mikasa..?" Armin blinked, confused. She wordlessly pointed up and both were confused at first until Armin noticed a certain plant dangling above them. "Um... Jean" Armin squeaked as he nudged Jean. Sure enough, mistletoe. Jean cursed his mother silently as Mikasa waited for them to kiss. "Mikasa you can't be serious!" Jean said, his face a bright red. "I am. So kiss or else I'll make you." She said with a stern tone that told the, she meant business. Armin squeaked and Jean's face turned even redder. Eren began to die of laughter and Mikasa tapped her foot.

Jean gave Armin an apologetic look before placing his hands on the blond's shoulders and planting a quick kiss on his lips. Jean quickly pulled back and Armin looked the other way, "umm bye" he said quickly before walking away. "Mikasa why'd you do that?!" Armin demanded, his face still pink. "What I thought you liked him?" She said casually before brushing him off. Meanwhile Jean watched them walk off, "crap" he muttered to no one as he went inside. He kissed Armin and was pretty sure he liked it.

Winter break was really want Jean needed, now that he had time to think he knew what he had to do. And as usual things didn't happen the way he thought they would. Jean was going to do it, he'd break up with Marco for sure. However it went the other way around.

Marco had been cleaning out his locker when Jean found him. "Marco I need to tell you something." Jean said. Marco turned around but didn't smile, "So do I. Look Jean, I know why your here and it's okay. I just want to thank you for getting with me in the first place. Heck, I didn't think we'd last as a couple this long. But thanks Jean, you made me happy but now its time for us to move on." Jean stood there shocked, "Marco..." "But that's not all," Marco said as he slammed his now empty locker shut, "I'm moving. I guess it's for the best." "What? How long have you known?" Jean asked. "About a week, but its okay. Keep in touch?" Marco asked. Jean nodded and hugged his friend, "you bet." Jean smiled with relief that it was all over.

After saying goodbye to Marco Jean began to walk to class when he was stopped by Mikasa. "Hey Mi-" "Today. After school. I swear if you and Armin aren't a couple I'll put you two together myself. Got it?" She said bluntly. "O-ok" jean said rather surprised. "Good. Also, mess up and I'll kick your ass. Armin deserves to be happy." The dark haired girl said before leaving.

Armin was seating outside reading when Jean approached him. "Hey Armin." Jean said causing the boy to look up. "Oh hi Jean, can I help you?" Armin said with a smile. "Yeah, would you like to go out with me?" Jean asked. He held his breath as Armin thought for a moment. "As a date?" Armin asked, his cheeks turning a little bit pink. "Does this answer your question?" Jean asked as he kissed the blond on the lips. Armin turned a bright red and nodded. "Great. I'll pick you up at seven."

That chapter was short and sweet. Thank you all for reading surprise but its not over yet! We have one more chapter to go, until then! :3


	21. Epilogue: Proposal

Hello everyone and welcome to the last chapter of surprise! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following my story. I hope you enjoy the final chapter. :)

Armin shut the car door as he walked toward his apartment with his keys and coat in hand. He walked into his apartment building where he lived on the third floor, apartment 23. He put the key in the lock and it clicked, allowing the blond inside where a surprise awaited him. "Jean, your home early." Armin said with a smile as he saw his boyfriend watching TV. "Yeah, they let me off early today." He said casually. Armin set his things down and walked into the kitchen. Jean turned off the TV and stood up.

"Jean... What's in the box?" Armin asked from the kitchen. Jean walked over and with a charming smile replied, "open it and find out." Armin sighed and opened the box to find...another box. "Really?" He asked, Jean just motioned for him to get on with it. Armin opened it for yet another box. "Are you serious?" He asked his boyfriend who simply grinned even wider. Armin sighed and opened yet another box to have his heart stop. Inside there was a little blue jewelry box. Jean took out the blue box and got on one knee. "Jean..." Armin breathed.

Jean opened the box, "Surprise"

The end! I thought it was kinda cute. Well that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed surprise because I had some fun writing it. Once again, thank you all for reading it!


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